The Rock Season (12 page)

He broke down in tears and I pulled him into me. Patrick threw his arms around him, too. I sat there holding my little brothers, wishing they hadn’t seen something so ugly. When they could breathe enough to tell me what else happened, I patted them on the backs and encouraged them to keep talking.

“Gretchen called 911 on her phone and the guys tried to run. Patrick tackled two of them and some other guys came and helped. They kind of beat the shit out of the three of them. I tried to cover up Anita as best as I could. She was totally passed out and she had...” He choked back a sob and took a deep breath. “She had blood all over, you know, down there.”

I dropped my head in my hands just as I felt hands on my back and realized that Stevie had joined us. She was just wearing one of my black t-shirts that fit her like a dress. My Motorhead t-shirt to be exact.

She asked the boys, “Can I make you some tea or something? Aaron, do you have any?”  

I couldn’t speak. I pointed to the Keurig and the rack next to it with assorted teas. The boys were still staring at me.

“Ok, so the police came and then what?”  

Patrick looked at Peter and said, “Well, that was it. We told them what we saw and they took down our information. They took Anita to the hospital. Tina’s parents got called and they looked at everyone’s IDs. It was fucked up, Aaron. There were a lot of kids there that were high, a lot of drugs. I had no clue some of those kids were into that shit.”

I blew out a breath and wiped my hands on my jeans. I really didn’t think my heart could take much more of this. I was dealing with too much stress and I probably wasn’t too young to have a damn heart attack. Or a stroke! But then those gentle hands were back on me, grounding me.

“Alright. I’m guessing they didn’t find anything on you guys, that you didn’t drink and drive, any of that? Anything else I need to know?”  

They shook their heads. “No, man. Gretchen drove us and then brought us back. She’s a mess, too. Anita’s her friend. She’s blaming herself.” Peter was obviously worried about his girlfriend.

I clapped him on the back. “She’ll be ok, little man. Maybe she should talk to a counselor, though. In fact, it wouldn’t hurt for you guys...”

They were frowning at me like I was the crazy one. “We’re fine. What the fuck are you talking about,” Patrick said.

Always the tough one.

I smiled at him. “Well, I’m proud of you both. Seriously. You may have saved that girl’s life tonight.”

Stevie brought them each their cup of tea and a moment later brought one for me. I smiled up at her in thanks and found the most loving expression on her face. The boys drank their tea and then said they’d leave us alone.

“Stevie, I’m just going to walk them back over to the house, ok? I’ll be right back.”

She nodded and smiled over her cup of tea. I closed the door behind me and put my arms around the boys as we descended the steps.

“We’re really sorry, man. I hope we didn’t fuck up your date.”

I shook my head. “It’s already been perfect. You couldn’t have messed it up.”

Peter looked up at me and smiled and Patrick just made a disgusted sound. I got them into their room and into bed without disturbing anyone else in the house. I told them I’d talk to Mom in the morning and explain what happened. They thanked me profusely and rolled over to go to sleep. I felt a wave of love for them at that moment. It was like they were still the little boys I used to get annoyed by, and cherish at the same time. They were truly a blessing in my life. The other blessing was waiting for me in my apartment. Lucky for me, she couldn’t run away.

Stevie

I woke up the next morning surrounded by warmth like I hadn’t felt in forever. I reached down to touch my pod, thinking I was just having a hot flash, and found nothing.

I shot up with a scream, not recognizing where I was. Aaron sat up next to me and was talking to me, but I couldn’t really hear anything he was saying. He wrapped me in his arms and tried to soothe me but the tears had already started. I clung to him, praying that this wouldn’t be a long one. Several minutes later I was able to catch my breath enough to apologize.

“I’m so sorry, Aaron. I kind of wake up like this, some mornings. Well, a lot of mornings. I just didn’t recognize-”

“Shhhh,” he said against my temple, stroking my back and my hair. “It’s ok, love. It’s ok. I’ve got you.”

And he did. And I felt safe and cared for. It was the first time since I was a little girl that I truly felt that way. I wanted to bask in it, revel in his touch, but I figured I shouldn’t take up his whole day.

“I don’t want to be in the way. Whatever time you need to-”

“Stevie? It’s six o’clock in the morning. I honestly have no place else I’d rather be than right here with you.”

I looked up into his smiling face and hoped he could tell the same was true for me.

So we snuggled, and talked, and snuggled some more. He told me when he’d come back from tucking his brothers in, he’d found me asleep sitting up on the couch. I giggled at that and he told me it was pretty adorable. In the morning light I looked around his place and found that yes, it was small, but it was cozy. He had a corner set up with his weights and a punching bag, no TV, just an iPod docking station, the little sitting area, the kitchenette, his bed and bathroom. I guess it was everything he needed.

“You were wonderful with your brothers last night. What a horrible experience for them to go through! That poor girl!”  

He shook his head and stared up at the ceiling. “I was just getting after Patrick about never disrespecting girls, telling him that most girls who were promiscuous were like that because they’d been messed up before. Guess this was a case in point. I hope those shits get their asses thrown in jail. They weren’t friends of the boys, thank God, because if they were kids I knew, I’d personally kick the shit out of them.”

I giggled. I couldn’t help it. He frowned down at me half-heartedly.

“What was funny about that?”  

“I don’t know! You just sound so protective, like a dad almost.”

He laughed and kissed my hair, which was probably wild and all over the place.

“I do feel like their dad sometimes. There’s a substantial age difference between us. And with my dad sick, I’ve had to be there for them.”

I looked up at him, curious but afraid to ask. Oh, what the hell!

“Aaron, do you want to have kids someday?” I felt like I was standing on a ledge right now, hanging on by my heartstrings. But that was a mistake I wasn’t going to make again. And he quickly proved he wasn’t a mistake.

His lips spread into a gorgeous smile. “Yeah. I do. I’d like to do it before I’m as old as my folks were when they had those two clowns, but yeah.” His smile faded as he looked at me, worry creasing his brow. “Stevie, I-”

“I want to have children, too,” I said quietly. I could do this. I could talk about this with him. He waited for me to speak and I knew he would understand.

“The doctors told me that what happened with Nancy was a fluke that it likely wouldn’t happen if I wanted to try again. As long as I keep my stress level down, they said I could try.” I blew out a breath, proud of myself for speaking about it. Before I could stop, more spilled out,  “My therapist would be really proud of me right now. She’s been pushing me to talk about it in general conversation, not just in therapy. You’re the first person I’ve talked to about this.”

He blanched. “What about Maryland?”

I smiled wistfully. “I had to stop. She was there for me, brought me home from the hospital and took care of me. But with her little girls around and her being a mom, I started to get angry and resentful. I got really drunk one night and screamed at her that she had no idea what I was going through and that talking to her about it was too painful. She felt helpless and honestly, I needed to do it by myself. With my therapist and support group, of course. Anyway, that’s when I moved out. It’s been a rough few months, but it gets a little easier every day. I just miss my little alien pod.”

He chuckled softly. “I remember you calling it that the first time I met you. I thought it was very fitting. I remember watching the twins roll around in my mom’s stomach. Pops and I made her watch the Alien movies and she cracked up. I thought it was really cool, though. And Mom was so radiant when she was pregnant. Like you were.”

I felt myself blushing and he grazed his thumb across my cheek.

“I love it when you blush, Stevie. You are amazing to me.”

More blushing. More chuckling. “Stop! You’re making it worse,” I squealed and he reached under the blankets to tickle me. I howled with laughter and then there was a knock on the door.

“Oh, shit,” he said, looking at his side table. “I have Pops’ keys.” He climbed out of bed, pulled on his jeans over his boxers and grabbed the keys. I couldn’t really hide unless I pulled the covers over my head, so I just sat up in the bed and tried to tame my crazy hair.

He opened the door a crack and handed the keys out. “I’m sorry, Pops. I got in late last night.”

I heard his father say, “I’m sorry to interrupt ye, son. Your grandmother needs eggs from the store for breakfast so I said I’d run.”

Aaron started to protest and I saw his father’s hand reach in and stop him.

“It’s fine, my boy. You and your lady friend can join us if you like. Or not.”

I heard him chuckle as he walked down the steps. Aaron watched him go, I gathered, and then he closed the door with a smile.

“Your lady friend, eh? When you said Irish you meant fresh off the boat! Your father has such a sweet accent,” I said. “I know somewhere, somehow I have Irish ancestors, but my parents didn’t really talk about it. ‘We were all one’ according to them.”

He stood at the foot of the bed smiling down at me and my mouth started to water at the sight of him.

“Would anyone notice if I stole you away and kept you in my bed,” he asked, trying to look creepy.

All it did was make me giggle more. “Not for a while. Maryland’s not due back for at least a couple of months. I could be completely decomposed before she gets back.”

He barked out a laugh and climbed on all fours towards me. “I’d be sure to keep you nice and fresh so the neighbors don’t complain about the smell. Completely preserved,” he said and threw his head back in a maniacal laugh before attacking my neck, which quickly turned from fun into desperate groping.

I wanted him so badly I was trembling. He suddenly stopped and rolled off me with a groan.

“Stevie I’m sorry. I don’t know what to do here. I need you to talk to me, tell me what you want, because I’m a mess.” He turned his head to look at me and his dark eyes were full of emotion. “This is so perfect, it’s so good. I don’t want to fuck it up. I’m scared.”

I rolled onto my side to face him and smoothed the crease in his brow. “I know what you mean. It’s all happening so fast, and it feels so damn good!”  

He chuckled at me and turned on his side. We searched each other’s eyes for a long time.

“Last night was like a movie,” he finally said. “Like everything happened exactly perfect. Well, except for my brothers. But even that, the way you handled it like it was as common to you as it is to me...You keep surprising me because you don’t get surprised. You just go with the flow and you’re so accepting of everything. That’s never happened to me before. Every woman I’ve ever been with has been disappointed with something. Either I didn’t have enough money, spent too much time with my family or with work...”

He looked pained and I hated it. I reached out to touch his chest above his heart. He grasped my hand and held it close to him, closing his eyes for a minute. His eyes opened and he said in a low voice, “I don’t want to disappoint you, Stevie.”

I pushed him over and laid across his chest. “The only way you’ll disappoint me is if you try to be someone you’re not. I really like everything about you, so far anyway. What are you worried about? I could care less about how much money you make, as long as you don’t care that I’m unemployed.” His laugh made my head bounce on his stomach. “I’m serious. And your family seems wonderful, Aaron. I love it that you’re so devoted to them.” I frowned and he noticed immediately.

“What is it, love?’  

I didn’t know how to say this without sounding clingy. “I don’t know. I guess I just wonder how I would fit into all of this. I understand being involved with your family, that’s wonderful. But I’ve been with someone who put work before everything else and I don’t think I could do that again. In fact, I know I couldn’t. And shouldn’t. It’s not good for me.”

He nodded and grazed his hand up my arm. “Well,” he finally said. “Nowhere is it written that we have to decide everything right this minute. Let me just ask you something, Stevie. Do you want to try this, with me?”  I blinked up at him and he shook his head, starting over. “Spend some time with me, in this chaotic life. If you think you might be up for it, then decide. No pressure, just concert buddies, right?”  

I giggled. He was trying to give me an out, see if I’d bite. I wanted to call his bluff. “Sounds good. Shall we go have breakfast?”  

His eyes bugged out and he stuttered. “But...St...My gran...You...Twin...Mom...Are you joking right now?”  

I cracked up and placed my hands on either side of his face. “I am not kidding. I’d love to meet the rest of your family. Unless you’re worried about bringing the crazy redhead to the table, then...”

“No, no, no, no, Stevie. No way. I’d be honored. It’s just...You don’t know them. You don’t know the horror.”

He had to be laying this on thick.

“Come on, McShane. It can’t be that bad. Look. Let me get cleaned up, as much as I can, so I don’t scare anyone, and we’ll go over together. You can explain your epic security guard fail,” I blocked his swing with a pillow, laughing, “and I’ll tell them how you rescued me, a damsel in distress, by bringing me into your home! Simple!”  

He was looking at me like I’d just grown horns. Maybe I had! I hopped off the bed while he still stared at me like a crazy person, and I went into the bathroom. And realized I was in the bathroom of a bald man. I panicked when I saw the state of my hair.

“Um, Aaron? We seem to have a problem...”

McShane

Stevie was able to tame her hair into a couple of braids. I assured her she looked gorgeous, which got me an eyebrow raise. She had hung up her dress in the bathroom the night before, so it looked great once again this morning. I couldn’t talk her out of going to breakfast so we agreed to go meet the clan and then go by her house, DMV (at my insistence, couldn’t have her driving without a license), and then to get her car. I called Tyson and he said people would be there working and would let us in. The prospect of spending the whole day with her had me as excited as a little kid at Christmas. I didn’t care that we’d just be running errands. Which reminded me.

“I need to make one more call before we go over to breakfast,” I told her and she smiled brightly.

“Whatever you need to do. I’m just along for the ride.”

She was sitting on my couch drinking tea with her legs pulled up under her. She was so beautiful I couldn’t help but stare. Which made her giggle. Which renewed my interest in the whole captive scenario. I sighed loudly and dragged myself away from the couch so I could call Schroeder.

“Hey Schroeder, I need a favor.” I heard him clearing his throat on the other end of the line.

“Sorry, no solicitors allowed. I’m not making any more donations to the Friends of the California Police Brotherhood.”

I groaned. He was obviously in a mood this morning.

“Dude! I can’t come in today. I have some things I need to take care of. I’m going to bring Peter and Patrick into work. Will you at least stay until Callie comes in at 2:00?”

“Yeah. I got nothing else to do. Like ever. But both of them? You think that’s wise? I don’t want to fucking babysit.”

I sighed heavily. “Yeah, both of them. They had a really fucked up night and I think it would be good to keep them busy today. And I want them where I know where they are, you feel me? So yeah, I’m asking you to babysit.” He could tell by my tone that I was serious. “I’ll be back to pick them up later this afternoon.”

“Whatever you need, man. I was just kidding. Patrick’s actually pretty entertaining. Takes me back to all the stupid shit I did in high school.”

Schroeder and I met in college at the radio station where we both worked, so I had only a guess as to what he was like. I imagined most of his weekends were spent at home and most of his dates were with his right hand.

“Thanks. I’ll see you later.” I hung up and turned to Stevie, who was looking around my place again with a smile. She was doing that earlier, too. “If you’re looking for a way to escape, I wouldn’t blame you.”

She rolled her eyes and stood up to walk towards me. She linked her fingers around my neck and pressed up against me. “I have no desire to escape, McShane. But my stomach is growling and I can’t wait to meet your family. Unless you think they’ll frown upon you bringing a lady friend to breakfast?”

I could see she was only mostly joking. I smoothed back her hair and kissed her forehead. “Let me tell you how I’m pretty sure this is going to go down. We’ll walk in and the Grandmothers will be there cooking. Grandma McShane will fawn all over you and treat you like a princess. Grandma Samadi will glare at you from across the table and finally ask you what your intentions are towards me. She’s really, REALLY trying to marry me off and squeeze some great grandbabies out so just be aware, ok? I know that might make you uncomfortable.”

She gave me a brave smile and said, “I think I can handle it. If I can’t, I’ll just start talking to myself and sit in the corner and you can tell them you’ll be taking me back to the asylum later today.”